Exercise Science
Section 19: Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition
An Introduction to Health and Physical
Education
Ted Temertzoglou
Paul Challen
ISBN 1-55077-132-9
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Basic Principles
 Motor learning
 The process by which a person develops, through a combination of
physical and psychological factors, the ability to perform a task
 Root of any motor activity lies in the sensory and nervous systems
 Motor learning divided into to basic concepts
 Automatic motor activity
 Controlled motor activity
 Principle of Individual Differences
 Individuals vary widely in terms of how quickly and easily they learn
new skills
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Stages of Motor Learning
 Fitts and Posner’s stages-of-learning model
 Cognitive stage
 Basic understanding of task
 Learner commits relatively large errors; may need specific
instruction on how to improve
 Associative Stage
 Learner begins to refine skill
 Develop awareness of mistakes
 Effort becomes more consistent
 Autonomous Stage
 Skill becomes “automatic”
 Aware of mistakes and how to correct them
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Factors Affecting Skill Development
 Incorrect understanding of the
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movement
Poor physical abilities
Poor condition of movement
Incorrect application of power
Lack of concentration
Inappropriate equipment,
clothing, or footwear
External factors
 Weather conditions
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Teaching and Learning a Skill
 Five-step method of skills teaching
 Readying
 Preparatory
 Work to attain ideal mental and emotional state
 Imaging
 Develop “picture” in mind of correct skill execution
 Focusing
 “zero” in on skill
 Executing
 Learner attempts skill after completing first three stages
 Evaluating
 Assess which aspects of skill were successful and which
needed improvement
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
The Role of Evaluation
 Feedback provides the learner with information on progress
when learning to perform a skill
 Can assist in performance improvement
 Two types of feedback:
 KR feedback
 Knowledge of results of an action
 Example: individual working on golf swing can get
KR feedback by seeing how far ball travelled after
each shot
 KP feedback
 Knowledge of performance
 Example: individual practising golf shot would not
be concerned with where ball lands but with the
actual swing
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Skill Categories
 Locomotor-Moving Skills
 Body transport
 Walking, running,
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
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skating, etc.
 Manipulative-Handling Skills
 Object manipulation
 Catching, throwing, etc.
 Stability-Balancing Skills
 Balancing skills
 Two feet, one foot, etc.
Classifying Skills
 Open skill
 Performed in an unpredictable environment
 Requires participants to adapt their movements to changing nature
of environment
 Environmental conditions are in motion
 Closed skill
 Predictable environment
 Permits participants to plan movements in advance
 Environmental conditions are stationary
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Skills Analysis
 Stages of skill observation
 Identify the purpose of the skill
 Knowing skill purpose assists observation of skill
 Break the skill into phases
 Preliminary movements
 Movements needed to get ready for skill
 Back-swing or recovery movements
 Movements that take place just before force-producing
movements
 Force-producing movements
 Movements executed to produce force for impact or
propulsion
 Critical instant
 Point that determines how effective skill execution will be
 Follow-through
 Movements that take place after critical instant
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Skills Analysis – cont’d
 Identify key elements of each phase
 Break each phase into observable elements
 Key elements of each phase generally connected to execution
of other skill phases
 Develop observation plan
 Must decide before watching how they are going to perform the
observation process
 Determination of which key elements will be observed
 Develop scanning strategy to obtain general picture before
focusing on specific elements
 Choose a varied number of positions for observation
 Determination of how many observations needed
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
Adapting Skill Development
 Shaping
 Encourages learners to develop “shape” a skill gradually
 Skill demonstration includes only the most important actions
 Missing pieces added gradually until whole skill is learned
 Gradual process
 Chaining
 Forward chaining
 Start at beginning of action
 Learn first phase, then second phase, then chain the
phases together before moving onto the third phase, etc.
 Backward chaining
 Begin at end of complex and work backward
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.
©Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. 2003. All material is copyright protected. It is illegal to copy any of this material.
This material may be used only in a course of study in which Exercise Science: An Introduction to Health and Physical Education (Temertzoglou/Challen) is the required textbook.